The present invention relates to belting, such as conveyor belts and the like, and in particular to a belt connector and method.
As disclosed in German Patent Document DE 198 20 204 A1, belt connectors or lacings are generally well known in the art, and include wire hook type fasteners which are pressed into the opposite ends of the belt, and have generally U-shaped coupling loops which mesh with the coupling loops on a similar connector on the opposite end of the belt. A coupling rod is inserted through the coupling loops in the meshed or overlapping area to create a secure, pivotal connection between the opposite ends of the belt.
Covers are used with some types of belt connectors to either protect the metal wire hooks from wear and tear, as may be caused by goods being transported on the belt, or to ensure that the goods are transported on the belt without being damaged by the wire hooks. Heretofore, such belt connectors have had a tendency to break, particularly if the belt is run in a type of dip or non-linear fashion, or must pass through a number of deflection rollers. Furthermore, damage can occur where one or more of the wire hooks break and protrude beyond the conveying surface of the belt, even when the lacing includes a reinforcing cross wire to interconnect the wire hooks with one another.
German Patent Document DE 198 20 204 A1 discloses a cover element that covers selected end portions of a conveyor belt which are interconnected with one another. In this prior art arrangement, the cover element extends over or covers the shank portions of the wire hooks on only one end surface of the belt. On the opposite end of the belt, the cover member extends under the wire hooks. Also, the cover member is positioned on only the outside or conveying side of the belt. A similar articulated belt connector is disclosed in German Patent Document DE 198 20 205 A1.
German Patent Document DE-PS 732 524 discloses a connection for drive belts or conveyor belts, wherein the belt consists of a fabric core and a rubber coating or exterior. Prior to installation of wire hook connectors into this type of belt, the rubber coating in the end area of the belt is skived away or removed, and an adhesive coating is subsequently applied onto the wire hooks. After the wire hooks have been installed, the fabric core is vulcanized in such a manner that a solid connection results between the wire hooks and the rubber coating. As a result, the belt is particularly adapted for use under wet conditions.
German Patent Document DE 36 42 803 C2 discloses a belt connector wherein the wire hooks are not interconnected by a cross wire, but rather by a paper retainer or comb. The wire hooks are pressed together, along with the paper comb into the end of the belt, and the paper is removed to form the final lacing.
German Patent Document DE 36 42 803 A1 also discloses equipping the jaws of a press with electric heating elements for pressing belt hooks onto the end of an associated belt. The heating mechanism heats at least the shanks of the wire hooks prior to being bent, and serves to partially soften or plasticize the plastic in the flat fabric belt. The belt hooks can be pressed together on the opposite sides of the belt during the bending process, such that the exterior dimension of the shanks in their final press state are no larger than the thickness of the flat fabric belt in any location.
Industrial and/or commercial laundry facilities use machines to convey laundry between the various stations, and are typically equipped with a number of fabric or plastic conveyor belts arranged in a mutually parallel, side-by-side relationship. Laundry, such as towels made from terrycloth and the like, is thus conveyed between washing, drying, ironing and folding stations.
The belts used with such industrial or commercial laundry facilitates are generally elastic in length, and may be constructed as cotton belts with elastic fibers. Heretofore, in order to keep the belt ends from fraying, they are equipped with a cover element that is positioned on the face of the respective belt, as well as the adjacent upper and lower surfaces of the belt. The cover element, constructed from fabric adhesive tape, is sewn into the end surfaces of the belt in a direction transverse to the belt length. Wire hook connectors are then fastened to the covered ends of the belt prepared in one of the manners described above. In such prior art arrangements, the above-noted disadvantages typically result, with protruding metal parts when either the wire hooks or the interconnecting cross wire break, thereby leading to threads being pulled from the laundry being transported on the conveyor belts. The laundry will therefore be damaged, or at a minimum, become unsightly.